Short video of the Rebbe's life

B"H

This Wed. Night/Thursday is the 15th Anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

To see interesting personal encounter videos w/ the Lubavitcher Rebbe, click here:

To see a short bio video of the Rebbe, click here:

~Have a great week!

The Rebbe's Children: A True Story

The Rebbe's Children http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/695811/jewish/The-Rebbes-Children.htm By Diane Abrams

Bob pointing to where I am sitting. I first met Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe of righteous memory, after I had just become engaged to the Bronx borough president, Robert Abrams. Rabbi Mowshowitz, an acquaintance of Bob's, arranged an appointment for us with the Rebbe, for us to receive a blessing prior to our marriage. I remember arriving at 770 at midnight, but we did not enter the Rebbe's room until 3:00 am. The Rebbe was very gracious, and that appointment started an ongoing relationship which continued for many years. The Rebbe believed in women's involvement in communal affairs. On one of our visits to the Rebbe, Bob, as a public officer, was describing his communal activities since he last saw the Rebbe. At one point he requested the Rebbe's guidance on a particular communal issue. The Rebbe turned to me and asked, "So what about you? We are in the period of women's liberation. You must have a view. What's your opinion on the issue?" Another story: One time, in the course of a farbrengen (public Chassidic gathering) Bob presented the Rebbe with an honorary proclamation in honor of his birthday. He informed the Rebbe that he was bringing this proclamation on behalf of all the citizens of the Bronx, Jews and non-Jews alike. The Rebbe asked him, "Where is your wife?" I remember seeing Bob pointing towards the women's section. Later Bob told me that he had told the Rebbe that I was right there, behind the glass window. When I was forty-eight years of age, I only had one child, Rachel, and my husband and I wanted another child. We went to a doctor who was considered an expert in the field, and she told us that we had less than a five percent chance of having another child. Throughout the time when we were visiting doctors and doing research on the possibility of having another child we had not told anyone about this, not even our parents. We were hoping and praying alone that we would have another child. Every year on Hoshana Rabba (the final day of the holiday of Sukkot) we would come to the Rebbe to receive a traditional piece of honey cake and a blessing for a good and sweet year. That year we arrived directly from a funeral which Bob and I had attended; it was the first time we had not brought Rachel with us to the Rebbe. My husband and I bring newborn Becky to the Rebbe. Out of the blue, the Rebbe looked at us and gave us his blessing for "an addition to the family within the next year." I was stunned. How could he have known that this is what we wanted? We had made no such request of the Rebbe nor did we tell any of the Rebbe's secretaries about our wish. It was tremendously encouraging to me, and many times throughout the year I thought about the Rebbe's blessings, picturing the moment when the Rebbe gave us that special blessing. Six weeks later, it was on Thanksgiving, I tested myself on one of those home pregnancy tests and it turned blue, indicating a positive result. I remember asking Rachel what color it was, and she said it was blue. I asked her again, "Are you sure it's not white?" And she said, "No, Mom, it is definitely blue!" I immediately went to the doctor's office for a "real" test. Actually it was our daughter's pediatrician, because most doctors were not in on Thanksgiving Day. He called back to say that the test was positive... but there must be some mistake because it simply could not be that I was pregnant! Instead, he advised that I take another test. Sure enough the second test was positive as well. I was absolutely ecstatic. A year later, in my fiftieth year, I gave birth to a wonderful girl, Binyomina, or Becky, named after my father-in-law Binyomin, who was a very fine and special man. The day I went to the hospital, Rachel, ten years old at the time, was at home. The phone rang, and Rachel answered. It was Rabbi Krinsky, one of the Rebbe's secretaries, calling at the Rebbe's behest. "Is everything okay with your mom?" he asked. "I think so," Rachel responded. "She went to the hospital a few hours ago. I think she is about to have a baby." As it turned out, I was delivering our second child at that moment when Rabbi Krinsky called on the Rebbe's behalf! When Becky was a few months old, we went for our traditional annual Hoshana Rabba visit to the Rebbe. Normally, the line of people waiting to receive the Rebbe's blessings extended for three-four blocks along and around the Crown Heights streets, but the chassidim were always so very nice to us. When our car would arrive, somehow, somebody would come and lead us to the front of the line, sparing us the long wait. We had the little infant in our hands. The Rebbe said, "I see you brought the addition to your family." This was a year later, and the Rebbe used the exact words he had used one year earlier. I said that we wanted to thank the Rebbe very much for giving us this beautiful child. Becky and me. "No, it wasn't me," the Rebbe said. And he lifted his hand and pointed towards the Heavens. This was the Rebbe, always shifting the focus away from himself. I remember another occasion when Bob presented a proclamation to the Rebbe, and he praised the Rebbe for all his work. The Rebbe's response? "It is not me, it is the movement." The Rebbe was always focused on the other person, his sensitivity to others heightened to an incredible degree. He practically never left his house, but he knew all that was going on worldwide. This was one of his great powers, his great strength. When standing before him you felt that you were the only person in the world. He never made you feel that he was greater than you; he brought out the best in you. The Rebbe himself had no children, yet he gave so many people blessings for children. We are all his children.

Yes! Marriage is Amazing!

B”H

‘Marriage is the greatest degree of joy that human beings can find in their lives.’ - The Lubavitcher Rebbe

There is an unfortunate reality that has developed in our modern day society, surrounding the topic of marriage and its success rate. Understandably, much of America and the world at large, today looks at the prospect of marriage in a bit of a more pessimistic, or cautious, perspective. However, the truth of the matter is, as seen through the eyes of Torah, marriage is the point at which a human being can finally reach his/her true self - to become whole.

The mystical teachings of Torah teach us, that one’s soul begins in shamayim (heaven) as a complete being. Before one’s soul descends to this world, it is divided in half. Its “soul-mate” descends to the world at another time, in another place, and until re-uniting, remains incomplete - half a being. Until marriage we’re half of who we really are!

NOW, as exciting a prospective as re-uniting with our “other half” first appears, it’s very easy for this feeling to die down. “So many marriages aren’t very happy!” “Didn’t you hear 50% of marriages in America fail!?”

True. But the problem is that we Jews need to have a truer, deeper perspective on what life is really all about. Our souls descend to this world in order to be a shining light “onto the nations” - to affect the world around us and form it into a dwelling place for G-d, beginning with our very own homes. To create such a lovely environment, we have to have a mate with the same ideals as we have - the same general view on life. When that is intact, then other challenges that arise can be overcome.

But when one’s primary focus is on physical attraction and good looks w/out identifying deeper values and goals, problems can arise.

“What are your goals in life?” “What type of household would you like to create?” “How many children do you envision having?” “What type of life do you want to live?” Is this the man or woman that I want to create a beautiful atmosphere and life with?

Before dating, and moving in together, and definitely before marriage, we need to have A's to these questions. We for sure need to place our emphasis on the right things. Beauty ages, youth wanes; but soul, personality, values - stay. To quote the end of the song sung in honor of the Jewish woman on Friday night before Kiddush, known as ‘Aishes Chayil’- ‘a woman of valor’:

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is naught; a G-d fearing woman is the one to be praised.”

Attraction is for sure important, but instead of looking firstly on the outside-in (body then soul), we need to first look inside-out. Then it’s less likely for the physical attraction and thrill to cover over issues and problem 'clues' that could arise in the future.

So we need to keep our original excitement, and sustain it always, to always fuel our love. But we must have our values fixed in the right place before choosing our partner and embarking on the beautiful voyage which is love and marriage. The Torah and its values help guide us to form the true and lasting values needed to live an enriching and fulfilled life.


Here’s some words from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, about the beauty and joy of marriage:

Love is an emotion that increases in strength throughout one’s life. It is sharing and caring, and respecting each other. It is building a life together, a unit of family and home.

The love that you feel as a young bride is only the beginning of real love. It is through the small, everyday acts of living together that love flourishes and grows. And so, the love you feel after 5 or 10 years is a gradual strengthening of bonds.

As two lives unite to form 1, with time, one reaches a point where each partner can no longer visualize life without his mate by his side. - (from a private audience)

I extend my heartfelt wishes to you that your wedding take place in a fortunate and good hour and with mazal tov. May you construct a Jewish edifice on the foundations of Torah and Mitzvos.

Understandably, it need not be emphasized that on a deeper level marriage means that chassan (groom) and kallah (bride) jointly embark on constructing a most joyous life & an edifice that endures for many, many long and happy years.

It Is self-understood that it is of primary and crucial import that the foundation of an edifice be constructed of the most durable material possible, material that is able to withstand the changes and havoc that can be wrought by changes of temperature & moisture, by an earthquake, and so on.

The same holds true as a Chasson and Kallah embark on building a life together [and lay the foundations for that life]. This joint life is to be founded on the foundations of Torah and Mitzvos, the strongest materials in existence.

These, then, are the vessels through which a couple receives G-d’s Blessings for a truly joyous life. May G-d Bless you as previously stated with a mazal tov and [with the ability to construct] an everlasting edifice on the foundations of Torah & Mitzvos.

- (Letter of the Rebbe)


The marriage of every couple is connected to the ultimate marriage between G-d and the Jewish people that will be consummated in the Era of Redemption. - (Talk of the Rebbe in 1991)

If not already married, may we all be Guided by Hashem to find our soul mates, and may we all be blessed to have a successful, harmonious marriage, building a beautiful household that is a source of warmth and comfort to all who enter.

Shabbat Shalom!

Daniel

P.S. for more Jewish thoughts on marriage, see the amazing site:
http://www.chabad.org/generic_cdo/aid/448429/jewish/Finding-Your-Soulmate.htm